My research interests mainly lie at the intersection of the cryosphere and atmosphere, two dynamic environments that have experienced significant contemporary change. Attributing these powerful signs of a changing earth requires careful evaluation of the chain of physical processes that link cryosphere and atmosphere, many of which are still not fully understood. My research uses both field and analytical methods to address energy and mass fluxes over glacier and seasonal snow surfaces, how these relate to multiple atmospheric scales (surface boundary layer, mountain atmospheric boundary layer, synoptic and seasonal climatology) and to various components of the climate system (clouds and airmass properties). In addition to the cryosphere I have addressed various aspects of air pollution climatology and hydro-climatology.

At Bodeker Scientific I am extending my interest in Southern Hemisphere meteorology into the stratosphere as part of the team working on the Marsden funded project, "The permeability of the Antarctic vortex". This project will use position data from Google(x) Loon balloons to reveal in unprecedented detail the transport and small-scale turbulent diffusion processes determining the mixing of trace gases in middle and high latitude stratosphere.

Publications:

Refereed:

Conway, J.P. and Cullen, N.J., Cloud effects on surface energy and mass balance in the ablation area of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand, The Cryosphere, 10, 1, 313-328, doi:10.5194/tc-10-313-2016, 2016.

Conway, J.
(2009) ‘Investigation into the interaction of PM10 emissions from Clyde and
Alexandra’, report prepared for the Environmental Science Committee of the
Otago Regional Council, April 2009, ORC report number 2009/162.